A journalist was loudly booed and heckled by Ukip members at the party's manifesto launch on Wednesday for asking Nigel Farage about the number of non-white faces featured in the document.

Chris Hope, The Daily Telegraph's senior political correspondent, asked the Ukip leader: "Are you happy that the only black face in the document is on the overseas aid page?"

He was met with loud jeers and shouts of "shame on you" from the audience. Several non-white members at the manifesto launch turned to wave at Hope, including Ukip MEP Steven Woolfe. The party's migration spokesman, who is mixed-race, is also pictured in the manifesto.

Farage defended the reaction of the crowd. "I think they felt insulted by that question," he said. "I think Ukip voters every day feel insulted by what they hear and read in the newspapers."

Ukip has pledged to cut overseas aid. The party's aid spokesman Nathan Gill is pictured in the manifesto alongside an unnamed woman.

After the manifesto launch ended, Hope was bombarded with tweets from people accusing him of being a racist for asking the question.

It's the Telegraph's Chris Hope-Not-Hate, enjoying all the tweets from UKIP supporters calling him racist pic.twitter.com/XMzser2scy

In 2013 Ukip MEP Godfrey Bloom infamously smacked Channel 4's Michael Crick over over the head for asking why there were "no black faces" on the cover of the party's conference guide.

At the Labour manifesto on Monday, Ed Miliband took the unusual step of asking party members not to boo or heckle journalists who were just doing their job by asking tough questions. By contrast, Ukip officials appeared happy to allow Hope to be shouted at. Farage himself applauded.